Coming Home
by SaraJo Lynn
Summary: What will happen now that everyone has their memories? And can they return to the Underground without and problems? *ON HOLD*
1. Coming Home Part One

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Coming Home-Part One

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah are not mine. However, Maija, Joshua, Daniel, Derrick, Steven, and Vectain are mine. The story is also mine.

Note: This is my first laby fic. If you find it stupid, sorry. Go easy on the flames… :o)

A long time ago there was a great kingdom. It was a kingdom that many thought only existed within the imagination. Within this kingdom lived the great ruler of the Underground, Maija, Queen of the Eternal City. She was wonderful queen whose subjects absolutely adored her.

Within the walls of the castle, Queen Maija resided. Her greatest joy came from watching her son, Prince Jareth, and his friends roam about the castle. These six friends did everything together. There was Joshua, Daniel, Steven, Derrick, Sarah, and, of course, Jareth. 

Things inside the Eternal City were wonderfully happy. Of course, there were always little squabbles between the friends, and most of them between Jareth and Sarah. You see, Jareth was the only one who had always lived in the castle. Sarah and the others had been brought to the castle after a tragic accident had killed all their parents. Although they soon became fast friends with the young prince, there was a bond between the other five that could not be matched. 

Queen Maija, not wanting anyone in her kingdom to suffer, had brought the five young subjects to her castle. Sarah and Steve were twins, and were the youngest of the five. They were both 15 when brought to the castle to live. Joshua, Daniel, and Derrick were brothers. Joshua was the youngest at 16 and Derrick the oldest at 18. The Queen brought them in hoping that they would form a friendship with her son and save him from his lonely life, and that's exactly what happened. Queen Maija brought them to the castle and made them lords and a lady over the Eternal City. And as time went on, the six soon became wonderful friends.

So here they were. Six friends who could not be torn apart. Jareth and Sarah became closer as the years went by, and on Sarah's 20th birthday, Jareth asked her to marry him. She immediately said yes, having fallen in love with Jareth the moment she laid eyes on him. 

A wedding was immediately planned. The kingdom had never been so alive and full of excitement. However, on the eve of Sarah and Jareth's wedding, darkness fell over the Eternal City.

Queen Maija went to Sarah's chambers to check up on her the night before the wedding. When she walked in the door, Sarah was not sitting in her bed as she normally was. Queen Maija looked around, but saw no sign of Sarah anywhere. She quickly rushed to Steven's chambers, knowing that the bond between the twins was stronger than life itself. She slammed the door open with a bang.

"Steven! Have you seen Sarah anywhere? She's not in her room and I'm getting a bad feeling about this." She looked around the room and noticed that Steven was also missing.

~What is going on here?~ She wondered. She rushed out to the hallway and called for the others.

"Jareth! Joshua! Daniel! Derrick! Come quickly!" She ran down the hall towards the throne room where she knew the other four would head. When she arrived at the throne room, only Jareth was there. His face was deathly pale and his eyes were wide with fear. 

"Jareth, where are the other?" Queen Maija asked her son.

"Gone. They're all gone, mother." At this, Jareth sank to floor, finally releasing the tears he had been holding in. Queen Maija noticed the paper that Jareth held in his hand. She went over and took it from him and read the letter in his hand.

_Do not worry about the fate of your precious _

bride and her friends. They are no longer any concern of yours. This night, the eve of your wedding, will forever be a day that you curse. Tonight, your kingdom will fall. At the stroke of thirteen o'clock, I will come and get my revenge. Never again will you see your precious Sarah, or your dear friends. 

Lord Russell

Queen Maija dropped the letter to the floor. She then looked at the clock on the wall.

"Five minutes until he arrives. Jareth, what does this mean? How did he get back to kingdom? We had him banished!" Queen Maija cried frantically.

"I don't know what it means, Mother. All I know is that Sarah and my friends are gone, and I will never see them again. I don't even know where Russell would have sent them."

"Oh, but you will soon find out, Prince Jareth. Soon, you will know everything, and I will finally have my revenge."

Queen Maija and Jareth looked to the doorway. Standing in the doorway was a man with hair the color of the night sky, and eyes that were just as dark. 

"Why are you here, Russell? And how did you manage to get back in to this kingdom?" Queen Maija asked.

"I'm here for my revenge. After tonight, I will be ruler of the Eternal City, and the two of you will only be a distant memory in everyone's lives," Russell said, with an evil grin on his face. 

Russell drew a sword from his side before the Queen and Jareth could even blink. In the twinkle of an eye, Queen Maija was lying in a broken heap on the floor.

Jareth looked at Russell with rage in his eyes.

"You will not get away with this. We have the strongest army in the land. We also have magic on our side. You will not win."

"Quite the contrary, Jareth. I already have gotten away with it. You see, I have a darker magic on my side. Where as you tend to stick to the pure, white magic, I chose to take up the darkness of black magic. I have cast a spell that not even your pure magic can reverse. You see, you will live. You will live and always remember this day. Your subjects will no longer live happy lives. They are forever in goblin form. You will never see the face of Sarah and again. She will only be a bittersweet memory. Her and friends have been separated from each other as well. You will be forced to rule over these goblins. And should an unwanted child ever be wished away, you will gladly take them. After thirteen hours, the child will become a goblin, unless the person who made the wish can solve the Labyrinth."

"What Labyrinth? I do not know what you are talking about." Jareth was quite puzzled at what he had just been told. There was no Labyrinth in this kingdom.

"Look outside. See what has happened to your kingdom."

"Jareth walked over to the window and looked out. Before stretched a massive Labyrinth. The Eternal City had been transformed. Instead of being bright and lovely as it once had been, it was now filthy and swarming with goblins. Russell walked over to the window and stood by Jareth.

"Behold! The Goblin City! With King Jareth as their ruler. A ruler who will obey my every command!" Russell laughed an evil laugh as Jareth turned to stare at him.

"I don't think so," Jareth replied. Jareth held out his hand, a perfect crystal forming in his palm. "You have killed my mother and kidnapped my friends. I demand that you tell me where my friends are before drastic measures are taken."

Russell wasn't planning on Jareth actually standing up to him. He knew that Jareth's magic was stronger, but he didn't think Jareth would have the courage to use it against him. Jareth noticed the look in Russell's eyes, even if it was only there for a moment. It was fear.

Jareth threw the crystal at Russell, trapping him in a crystal bubble. Jareth slowly walked over to the bubble and glared at Russell.

"Now, where are my friends?"

"They are on Earth, Jareth," Russell spat the words out venomously. "Well, they will be anyway. They haven't been born on Earth yet. But when they are, they will have no memory of who they are. They will not remember the time spent here. They will be separated from each other with no chance of them ever finding each other. You will all be forced to live a life without each other. This is my revenge."

Jareth looked at Russell, contemplating what he had just said. Was he doomed to live this life without his beloved Sarah and his friends? And, was he also doomed to live a life obeying this man's every command?

"That's where you are wrong, Russell. The bond between the six of us cannot be broken, not even by you. Eventually, we will all find each other again. However, I can't have you around standing in the way of our reunion. So I'm afraid I'm going to be forced to dispose of you. Only this time, I will make sure that you cannot ever return."

Russell looked at Jareth with fear in his eyes. He knew that the only way Jareth could be assured that he would not return would be to kill him. But if Jareth would kill him, his heart would forever be consumed by hate. Knowing this, Russell knew that even should Jareth kill him, he would have his revenge.

"Do what you will, Jareth. But you know that if you kill me, you will no longer be the caring person you are now. Once you kill, your heart will be consumed by your hate."

Jareth knew he was right. But he also knew that, should he ever find his beloved Sarah, the hate would disappear.

"I know what I stand to lose. I stand to lose everything that makes me who I am. But you don't understand. Without Sarah, I will never love again and therefore, I already am not the same person I once was. I will kill you, and I will do it for Sarah, and for my friends."

With that said, Jareth released Russell from the bubble. But before Russell could blink, another crystal was formed and thrown at him, consuming him in a gulf of fire. All that remained when the smoke cleared was a dark mark in the middle of the floor where Russell had once stood. With a wave of his hand, Jareth removed the spot. He then walked over to the broken body of his mother. A crystal formed and his mother's body disappeared as the crystal landed on her still form.

"Rest in peace, Mother." With that, the still form of Queen Maija came to rest in a lovely garden just outside the throne room. It was the only thing lovely in the newly formed Goblin City, and forever beautiful it would remain as a silent memorial to the fallen Queen.

Jareth turned and gazed out the window at the Labyrinth he now controlled. The curse for him to take unwanted children still remained, but since Jareth's heart had been consumed by hate, he no longer cared.

"Everything I loved was taken from me. I will make the people pay for my pain. And never will I love again."

"Oh, but you are wrong, King Jareth."

Jareth started at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned to look at this voice that had invaded his private space.

"Who are you that dares tell the King of this land that he is wrong?"

"I am but an old scribe. But you must listen closely. Destiny has been fulfilled today. Whether you like it or not, the events that have transpired today were meant to happen."

"I don't believe you," Jareth said to the scribe. "What is your name? And why should I believe what you say?"

"My name is Vectain. And you should believe me because I am the keeper of the destiny of the Eternal City."

"Well, Vectain, there is no Eternal City. Only a goblin city where the Eternal City once stood. And I still don't see why I should believe what you are saying."

"Look for yourself, King Jareth. Look as I tell you what I know."

Before Jareth, a glowing crystal appeared. He stared into it as Vectain told him the story.

"It is written in the ancient books of the Underground, that a great misery will befall the land. At this time, the reign of the current ruler will come to and end, and her heir will take over. All that the new ruler loves will taken from him and the Underground will be transformed. No longer will be a place of happiness and joy.

"But it does not end there, Jareth. There is much more to be said. At this time of darkness, those that the ruler loves will be sent to Earth. Here they will remain. They will be born in to Earth families with no memory of the time spent in the Underground. However, eighteen years from the time that the last one is born, they will meet again. During this time, you, ruler of the Underground, will have fallen in love again. She will turn her back on you, and you will be crushed that your beloved does not return her love as she once did. Yes Jareth, you will find Sarah again. But she will not remember you or your time spent together. She will also have fallen in love, but not with you. If the five of them should remember who they are and where they came from, they will be able to return to the land that they once called home. Only one thing shall remain a mystery. Sarah will not remember that she loved you. She must learn to do that again on her own. She will have to fight between the new love that she has found, and the old love that fights to win her back. The choice must be hers and she cannot be forced into a decision."

With that said, the crystal disappeared as well as Vectain. Jareth looked around, with a new hope on his face. But it was soon replaced with a look consumed with hate.

"What good is this if I cannot be guaranteed that Sarah will love me again? I will make Earth suffer for what I must go through. If one of them is going to take away the only love I have ever known, then I shall make their lives miserable."

Jareth turned and walked to the throne that was now his and began his work at the Goblin King.

Well, that's Part One. Let me know what you think. I'm working on Part Two right now. I hope to get it finished soon, but with work and classes, I'm not sure when it will be finished. Sorry if this isn't a very good story, but this is my first fic. And if anyone has any ideas for me, I would welcome them!! Send any ideas to: sara_beth_1999@yahoo.com


	2. Coming Home Part Two

Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah do not belong to me and neither does Toby. I didn't create them, so don't sue me. You wouldn't get much anyway. However, Robby, Steven, Vectain, and any other characters that would happen to appear that aren't in the movie do belong to me. 

First of all, if you haven't read Part One, I suggest you do that right now or NOTHING will make any sense. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first story. And special thanks to Athena Ryan for proofing my story. I really appreciate your help!!! :) I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this next part done, but I was kind of stuck as to where to start up at. But I finally just sat down and started writing, and here it is. I hope you like it, and I'm working on the next part now. Please, if you read this, review. Any input would be helpful. :)

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Coming Home-Part Two

Sarah sighed as she slammed her locker shut. She could hardly believe that her last day of high school had finally arrived. She would soon be heading of to college, far away from her stepmother.

"Hey babe. What's wrong?"

Sarah turned at the sound of her boyfriend. They had started dating during her freshman year, not long after she got back from the Labyrinth.

"Hey Robby. Nothing's wrong. Not really anyway. Conflicting emotions I guess. I'm really excited about college and that I'll finally be away from Karen, but I'm going to miss you and Toby so much."

"I know. I'll miss you, too. But we still have all summer, Don't say your goodbyes too soon."

Sarah smiled and Robby took her hand as they walked out of the school and into the future.

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Jareth sat in his throne staring at the crystal in his hand. He was always watching Sarah, praying for the day that she would get her memory back.

"Why has she not yet remembered?!"

"You must be patient, Jareth. Remember, she has not yet been reunited with the others. You must remain calm."  
Jareth looked up at Vectain, somewhat annoyed at him, but he held his tongue. 

"I know I must be patient, but I can't help it. It took 200 years before she was even born on Earth. Then another fifteen before I could see her face to face again. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Especially when I see her with that Robby character. Sarah should be at my side, not his."

Vectain looked and Jareth and could see the pain in his eyes.

"Jareth, you must remember this: Sara's memory WILL return. But you must take it easy. They will all be confused at first, but the guys will soon be happy about the return of their memories. However, Sarah is quite a different story. She only knows you now as a villain who stole her brother and made her go through thirteen hours of hell to get him back. When she learns that she was once one of your best friends, it will be hard on her. Give her time. But above all else, you cannot ever mention to her that the two of you were once engaged. Telling her that could, in fact, push her away forever. She will have to learn to love you all over again, and she may choose not to."

"I know all this. You have told me numerous times. I just have to keep hoping that Sarah will love me again. It's the only thing keeping me going."

Vectain looked once more at Jareth and then vanished from the room as Jareth once again peered into his crystal.

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Vectain reappeared in his tiny house deep within the forest of the Labyrinth. He sensed that he was not alone.

"Who is there?" He called out.

"I cannot reveal that at this point in time," a voice answered back. Vectain could tell that it was a female voice.

"Where are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid I cannot reveal myself to you. As for what I am doing here, I have a message for you. We both know that you are the keeper of the destiny of the Eternal City. But it seems that you have overlooked something very important," the voice said.

"And what would that be? I can't believe that I could have overlooked something," Vectain said with a hint of doubt in his voice. He never messed up a destiny. He knew all.

"You are forgetting an old prophecy. The prophecy states, 'There will come a time when a great tragedy will befall the Eternal City and leave it forever changed. Should the ruler find a love that is everlasting and true, the Eternal City will be restored to what it once was. However, this love will have to survive unspeakable odds and survive even when it should not have. Two hundred and twenty years after the tragedy of the Eternal City, the chance for survival will arise. Should the love not be true, the Eternal City will be gone forever, never to be seen again in its former glory.' That is the prophecy, Vectain. And it is time. Time for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Jareth is that ruler, and Sarah is that love. Should Sarah and Jareth's love be completely true and everlasting, Sarah will remember the love she shared with Jareth. It may not happen right after the memories return, but if it is meant to be, Sarah will remember the love she had. But you must be careful. If Sarah is told about this before she remembers, the prophecy will be void, and all in the Labyrinth will die."

"So what do I do? Why have you told me this?"

"You must tell all this to Jareth. He must know that there is hope. And you must tell the others when they receive their memories for they will remember Sarah and Jareth being engaged. They cannot tell her. But you must act quickly. It is almost time for Sarah to be reunited with the first person."

After that was said, Vectain felt the presence leave. He knew the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. He sighed as he turned to look out his window. 

"I guess it's time for another visit with the King."

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Sarah shut the back door of her jeep and turned to say goodbye to her family.

"Well, I guess this is it," Sarah said. She was actually starting to regret going so far away to college. She had actually started to get along with Karen over the summer. So much in fact, that there were many times that Sarah and Karen had stayed up late just talking, almost like Sarah wished she could do with her own mother. It was almost scary to see how well they were getting along.

"Make sure you write to us and let us know all about college life," Karen said. Was it Sarah's imagination, or did it look like Karen was trying not to cry?

"I will," Sarah said as she embraced Karen. Then she turned to her father.

"I love you, Dad," Sarah sighed, trying hard not to show that she was on the verge of breaking down.

"I love you, too," he said and Sarah embraced her father. She was going to miss him.

Finally, Sarah turned to Toby. She knew that she was going to miss Toby the most. She couldn't believe that she had actually wished him away. But she didn't need to dwell on that thought now. It was bad enough that she kept having the strangest dreams about the Labyrinth, she didn't need to think about during the day as well.

"Hey, Squirt. I'm gonna miss you. Be good for Daddy and Karen. I'll be home for Thanksgiving, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Sarah," Toby flung his arms around Sarah's neck and started crying. She held on to him for a minute more and then stood up.

"Well, I've gotta get going. I still need to go say goodbye to Robby. I promise I'll call when I get there."

Sarah got in her jeep and, with one last wave, pulled out of her driveway

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Robby was sitting on his front porch when Sarah pulled up. She parked the car and got out and headed towards him.

"Hey there," Sarah said as she stepped up onto the porch.

"Hey yourself," Robby said with a sly grin on his face.

"What? What's that look for?" Sarah asked, not really sure what her boyfriend was up to.

"I'll tell you in a minute. But first..." Robby pulled Sarah to him and kissed her. Sarah could have stayed there forever, but they both knew that she had to get going. She pulled back and looked up at Robby, tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't believe that summer ended so soon. I don't want to say goodbye. I'm going to miss you so much!" Sarah was sobbing now and Robby wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey. It's okay. I'll still be here when you come back," Robby said. "The only difference now is that we won't be able to see each other every waking moment. But that'll make it even better when you come home."

Sarah looked up at him and smiled. She knew he was right. Being away would be hard, but she would survive knowing Robby would be there whenever she came home.

"Now, what is it you have to tell me?" Sarah asked Robby.

"Well," he said, "it's like this. My cousin called me this morning. He usually calls once every two months or so. Anyway, he was telling me all about his graduation party and everything. He told me he's going to college on a basketball scholarship. And get this, he's going to be at Indiana University, too! I told him all about you and that you were going there as well, and he said that you would be the first person he looked up when he got there."

"Wow. That's amazing. This is almost too good to be true. Now I won't be so alone when I get there," Sarah said, feeling a bit better about leaving now that she would have someone to talk to when she got there. Robby walked her to her jeep and she got in and rolled down the window. Robby leaned in and kissed her once more.

"Be careful. And call me when you get there. I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Robby, " Sarah said as he backed away from her jeep. "Oh wait! I can't believe I didn't ask you this before. What's your cousins name?"

"Steven. But everyone calls him Steve."

As Sarah pulled out of the driveway, she couldn't help but feel as though all she knew was about to change.


	3. Coming Home Part Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Jareth, Sarah, or any other character from the movie that might happen to appear along the way. Steve, Derrick, Josh, Danny, Vectain, and a character whose identity is yet to be determined do belong to me. Please don't sue me, I don't have much. I'm just a poor college student... Hope you guys enjoy part three. 

Short note from the author: sorry about that last story if you tried to review it. I guess I accidentally triggered that when I changed part of my profile. It's fixed now in case you want to go back and review it. Also, thank you to my sister, Alicia, who read through and helped proof my story. If anything was missed, we apologize. Without further adieu, here's part three...

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Coming Home - Part Three

Sarah looked up at the building in front of her. She couldn't believe that she was actually starting college. Truth be told, she was quite nervous. She had never been this far from home before. That is, unless you count her journey through the labyrinth because she wasn't quite sure exactly where it was. Sarah walked to the door and hesitated before opening it and walking in to her dorm.

"Hello," said a voice from behind a desk. 

"Hi," Sarah replied. "Is this where I need to check in?"

"Sure is." Sarah looked up and saw a girl with blonde hair sitting behind the desk. "My name is Bethany. Let me just get your name and I'll give you your room key and let you know which way to go to get to your room."

"I'm Sarah Williams."

Bethany looked through a file and found Sarah's room assignment and room key.

"Here you go," Bethany said. "You're right across the hall from me. Room 320. Go down this hall to my right and up the steps. If you wait for just a minute some guys should be along and can help you with your stuff. And so you know, you're roomies name is Amy. She won't be here until tomorrow afternoon though."

"Thanks so much for your help," Sarah said. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."

Sarah turned just as a guy walked through the door. From what Sarah could tell, he was over six feet tall, and quite cute.

"Hey, Bethany," he said as he approached the table. "Any more people need help moving in?"

"Actually, Sarah here just came in. You could probably help her. She's going to be right across from me."

The guy turned to look at Sarah. Sarah looked at him and felt a strange connection to him, but she shrugged it off since she knew she had never seen him before in her life.

"I would love some help if you're sure it wouldn't be a problem."

"No problem at all," he said. "By the way, my name is Josh."

Sarah and Josh walked out to her car and started unloading it. 

"So, Sarah. Where are you from?" Josh asked.

"I'm from New York."

"Cool. I've always wanted to go there. What made you decide to come to Indiana for college?"

"I really don't know. I had always planned on going to California or something out west. I got a brochure for Indiana University and just decided to come. So here I am. I don't even know what I'm going to major in. Probably Communications or Performing Arts. I really want to become an actress like my mom."

"That's cool. I'm from Indiana. I live close to the Ohio border. I've never really had a desire to leave the state, and I'm here on a full ride for basketball, so I really didn't see the point in paying to go to school when I could go free. I'm majoring in Athletic Training and Education. I want to coach high school basketball some day."

"I wouldn't be able to do that. I love kids, but I don't think I'd be able to be around them all day for the rest of my life. Did you say you were on the basketball team?"

"Yep. Number 40. Why?"

Sarah looked around her room and saw that all her stuff was finally unloaded. It sure took a lot less time than she thought it would, but that was probably because she had help.

"Well, before I left from home, my boyfriend told me that his cousin was here on a basketball scholarship and that he was going to find me. But now, I might be able to find him first."

"No problem. What do you say we go grab something to eat at the Student Center and then go to the gym. I've got practice soon and all the team is here, even the freshman. So I know he'll be there."  
"Sure. Let's go."

"You know, this is so weird. I only met you about an hour ago, but I feel like I've known you my whole life," Josh said. "It's almost kind of freaky."

"I know. It is weird. But it makes me feel more at home knowing that I have friends here already," Sarah said as she looked at Josh. "Thanks for helping me. I don't feel so alone now."

Sarah shut the door behind her and walked with Josh to get something to eat. She thought about calling home right now, but decided it could wait awhile. There were people to meet and she wasn't going to waste any time.

----------

Jareth looked in his crystal and couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Sarah, and Josh. She had finally been reunited with one of her old friends. 

"It will only be a matter of time, Sarah. In a short while, your world is going to crash around you, and I'll be the only person who can put it back together again. I think maybe I'll drop in for a visit. It's been too long, my sweet, Sarah." With the flick of his wrist, the crystal was gone and an owl stood where Jareth had been sitting. 

Vectain watched silently from the shadows as Jareth transformed.

"I hope you're not going to do anything rash, Jareth," Vectain said to himself. "For your sake, and for the sake of this kingdom."

----------

Sarah sat on the bleachers watching the guys as they practiced. They'd been practicing for almost two hours, and she was exhausted from watching. She hadn't met Steve before practice, but Josh was going to introduce them when practice was over. He had pointed Steve out to Sarah and the feeling she had when she first met Josh returned. She felt that she knew him, but she knew it was impossible. Maybe it was just because he was Robby's cousin. Sarah looked up from the book she had been reading and saw Josh walking towards her with Steve in tow.

"Hey, Sarah. This is Steve. My guess is that you two have heard about each other," Josh said as he sat down in front of Sarah on the bleachers.

"We haven't heard too much about each other," Steve said as he sat down next to Sarah. "I only heard about her a few days ago, and if I'm not mistaken, that's also when she found out that Robby even had a cousin named Steve."

"That's right," Sarah said. "I knew Robby had cousin's, but he never mentioned names. Only that they lived in a different state and he didn't see them all that often."

Sarah and Steve sat talking for a few more minutes while Josh went and talked to the coach. Josh came walking back over and stopped dead in his tracks when he looked over at Steve and Sarah. Sarah looked up and noticed his shocked look.

"What is it, Josh?" Sarah asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"This is going to sound really strange, but have you noticed how much alike you and Steve look. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys were twins."

At the word twins, Sarah's mind flashed. She saw what looked like a young version of herself sitting next to a boy about her age on a couch. In the next instant it was gone. Steve and Josh hadn't even noticed that anything happened to her.

"Impossible," Steve said. "But we do look strangely alike. Weird."

"Right. It's probably just one of those one in a million things that happens. I mean, today is the first time I've ever even seen Steve. If we were related, I think we would've known before now," Sarah said as she stood up. "Well, it's been nice spending the day with you, Josh. And it was nice to finally meet you, Steve. But I'm going to head back to my dorm and get my stuff unpacked. Who knows, maybe my roomie has showed up."

"All right. Hey! Why don't we all have breakfast together tomorrow," Josh said. "Since I'm a junior, I've got an apartment. I could introduce you to my roomies, Sarah. Steve's already met them because they're also on the team, but you could both come over."

"Sure," Sarah said. "Why don't you just call my room tomorrow morning. I have a class at seven, so I'd say call around six thirty. Then if I'm not out of bed, you can wake me up. What time for breakfast?"

"Nine-ish? Does that sound okay? You coming, Steve?"

"I'll be there," Steve said with a grin. "You actually think I'd turn down free food?"

Sarah smiled as she said goodbye to her two new friends and headed out of the gym. She was walking down the sidewalk when she heard a branch crack in the tree above her. She looked up and saw a white owl right above her in the tree. 

"No," she whispered. "It can't be you. I left all my memories of you in New York. You can't be here. You can't."

Sarah watched as the owl flew off in to the sunset. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was at college. She was starting a new life. She certainly didn't need reminders of the past.

----------

Sarah looked around her. Everything was dark, but she didn't feel afraid. Somehow, she knew that she was safe. Suddenly, a bright light came from behind. Sarah whirled around and saw a woman standing in front of her.

"Sarah," the woman said, "I have come to help you."

Sarah gasped, shocked that the woman knew her name. She looked closer at the woman that had appeared. For some reason the voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. The light surrounding the woman was too bright for Sarah to be able to make out the face, but she was almost certain that she knew that voice.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked. "How do you know my name?"

"I know much about you, Sarah Williams," the woman said. "However, I cannot tell you who I am."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"You will find out soon enough who I am," the woman said softly. "If I reveal myself to you before it is time, the consequences could be devastating. All I can tell you now is that your world is about to change forever. But you must stay strong no matter what happens."

"What's going to happen?" Sarah asked. "What is about to change?"

"I wish I could tell you, Sarah," the woman said. "The only other thing I can tell you is not to worry. Your new friends will be with you every step of the way. As well as a couple friends you have yet to meet. That is all I can tell you now. Goodbye, Sarah. And good luck."

Sarah stood there as the woman vanished before her very eyes.

----------

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Sarah rolled over and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock. She stared at the numbers that were looking back at her. Six a.m. She laid there for a moment longer as she thought about her dream last night. This was the first time since coming back from the Labyrinth that she hadn't dreamt about her adventure there in some way, shape or form. She remembered the woman saying her life was about to change and that her new friends would be there to help her. She also remembered her saying that there were a couple friends that she still had to meet. Sarah rolled out of her bed, eager to find these two people that the woman in her dream told her about.

----------

Jareth paced around his throne room restlessly. He couldn't believe his luck. Two of the first people for Sarah to meet at college had been none other than Steven and Joshua. He knew that the other two were somewhere nearby and that it would only be a matter of time before the memories came back to them. And after the word that Vectain had given him, he knew he would have to appear as soon as they got their memories back so he could pull the guys aside and see how much they actually remembered. He was not going to take any chances that Sarah would find out that her and Jareth were engaged. He knew that she would remember. No two people in history had ever loved each other as much as they had. Jareth looked in his crystal and saw Sarah heading towards Joshua's apartment. In an instant, he was in owl form and flying towards Sarah.

----------

Sarah stood on the doorstep of Josh's apartment. She hesitated before knocking on the door, knowing that on the other side could possibly be the other two people that the woman in her dream told her about. Hesitantly, she reached out to knock on the door. Just as her hand was about to hit the door, Josh swung the door open. Sarah jumped.

"Good morning, Sarah," Josh said.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Sarah said. "You scared the living daylights out of me."

"Sorry. Come on in. Steve's already here."

Sarah walked in to the apartment and saw Steve sitting on the couch next to a guy with short sandy brown hair.

"Sarah, meet Derrick," Josh said. "Derrick, this is Sarah."

"Nice to meet you," Derrick said.

"Same here," Sarah replied. For the third time since coming to college, Sarah got the strange feeling that she somehow knew these people. She shrugged it off again and sat down between Steve and Derrick on the couch.

"You'll meet Danny in a minute. He's not back from class yet," Josh said. "But we can go ahead and start eating without him. He's used to us doing that."

The four of them went to the kitchen and grabbed plates. There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, and a various assortment of cereal. They all sat down at the table and started talking. Sarah looked around the table at her new friends, and decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up her dream. Maybe they could help her make some sense of it.

"Hey guys," Sarah asked, "I have a question to ask you. You're probably going to think I'm completely wacko, but I'm going to ask anyway. Do you guys think that the dreams you have really mean anything?"

"What do you mean?" Derrick asked.

"Well, last night I had this really strange dream," Sarah began. She told them about the dark and not feeling afraid and about the glowing lady and what she had been told by this woman. When she finished she looked at them, waiting to see what they would say.

"I don't know what to say," Josh said. "If you ask me, some of it's pretty easy to explain. The friends are obviously us, and the two new ones are more than likely Derrick and Danny. As for your world changing, she was probably just talking about college. I think it was just your subconscious mind trying to reassure you that everything is going to be okay and that you'll have people here to help you adjust to life away from home."

"Always the psychologist, aren't you Josh?" Derrick asked.

"Yeah," Steve put in. "You should change your major."

Sarah had to agree with them. Why hadn't she thought of that? Just then the door opened and Danny walked in to the apartment. For the fourth time, Sarah got that strange feeling and decided not to ignore it this time.

"This is going to sound really weird," Sarah said, "but I feel as if I know you somehow. I felt that way with all of you. Almost like I knew you in another lifetime or something."

Suddenly, the room around them began to spin and everything went black.

----------

Sarah sat up and looked around. Steve, Josh, Derrick, and Danny were all rubbing their heads trying to figure out what just happened. 

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Steve answered. 

"Yeah, we're good," Danny said.

"Where are we?" Derrick asked.

The five of them stood up and looked around them. They were in some sort of room with no doors or windows. The only thing in the room was a small white box. On the box was a piece of paper tied with a gold ribbon. Josh picked it up and began to read it.

"There's a gift for each of you in this box, something dear that you long ago lost. It's your memory I hold deep inside, waiting for you, no longer to hide."

"What does that mean?" Steve asked.

"I think," Sarah said, "that there's a reason behind why I felt like I had known you all before. And I don't think that woman in my dream was talking about college. Who's going to open the box?"

Sarah looked around at the four faces. She knew that once this box was opened something was going to happen and she was almost afraid to find out what it was.

"None of us are going to open it," Josh said.

"Why not? You read what that paper said," Danny stated.

"I know," Josh replied. "But look. The box is opening itself."

The five of them stood around the box as the lid began to open a bright white light filled the room and for the second time that day, the world went dark for the five of them. 

----------

Outside Josh's apartment, a white owl sat watching. The five of them disappeared from the room and silently, the owl flew in through the open window and transformed to his original form.

"It won't be long know," Jareth said out loud. "Not long at all."

----------

The five friends reappeared in Josh's apartment. None of them noticed the new member of their party who was lounging on the chair in the living room. They slowly stood up and looked at each other, filled with the memories of their lost past.

"Wow," Derrick said. "This is too weird. Josh? Danny?"

"I have brothers," Josh said. "I've been an only child my entire life."

"I'm going to kill the scum that did this to us," Danny said. "How dare he take us away like that."

"You know, Josh," Steve said, "I guess you had good reason for saying Sarah and I looked like we could be twins. Turns out that we are. I just want to know when we get to go back. Sarah?"

The five turned to find Sarah. She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen looking in at the person sitting on the chair in Josh's living room.

"Hello, Sarah," Jareth said. "It's been awhile."

Sarah screamed, and then she fainted.

Sorry for the cliffhanger guys. I got to this point and my mind just kind of stopped. I'm not sure where exactly it's going to go from here, but trust me, it'll go. Please review it! 


	4. Coming Home Part Four

Disclaimer: Sarah, Jareth, and any other characters from the original movie do not belong to me. Don't sue me, I still don't have any money. If you don't recognize them from the movie, then by process of elimination, your best bet would be to guess that they're mine. Also, thank you again to my wonderful sister, Alicia, for proofing this story (she's hooked!). And remember, if you read, review!

****

Coming Home - Part Four

Steve caught Sarah right before she fell over. He carried her over and laid her on the couch.

"Why did she do that?" Derrick asked. "Shouldn't she be overjoyed to see you, J?"

"No, she shouldn't be," Jareth said. "You guys must listen. You cannot tell Sarah that we were engaged. She doesn't remember. If you guys tell Sarah, our world will die, as well as everything in it, which would now include you."

The guys looked at each other and at Sarah. Not remember? Then what more was there for Sarah to remember? Jareth was her entire life before Lord Russell came and took them. 

"So what exactly will she remember?" Steve asked.

"I'm not sure," Jareth said. "Probably just that she was my best friend. She won't remember that she loved me. There's more to explain than that, but not now. I don't want Sarah to wake up and hear anything."

Sarah moaned and rolled over on the couch. She opened her eyes and looked up at the five guys standing in the living room.

"No. This can't be happening. Am I really from the Underground?"

"Yes," Jareth said. "You all are."

Sarah looked at Jareth. She remembered living in his castle. She also knew that he had been her best friend, a fact that she didn't want to admit. 

"So, J," Sarah asked, "how hard was it then when I wished Toby away and you saw me and knew that I didn't remember anything?" 

"You did what?" Steve asked.

"I wished away my little brother," Sarah said. "I was mad because I had to baby-sit and I wished for the goblins to come take him away. I had thirteen hours to solve J's labyrinth before he turned Toby into a goblin."

"Labyrinth?" Josh asked. "What Labyrinth? And what goblins? J, what happened after we left?"

Jareth looked at his friends. This was going to take awhile to explain.

Two hours later, Jareth and Sarah had finished telling their stories. Jareth of what had happened to the eternal city, and Sarah about her journey to save Toby.

"So when do we go back?" Danny asked. "I want to see what this creep did to our home."

"We can go now if you want," Jareth said. 

"Yeah," Derrick said. "Let's go. Will we get our magic back?"  
"Try and see."

Each of the guys flicked their wrists and perfect crystals appeared in them.

"Cool," Steve said. "Sarah, see if you got yours back."

"No," Sarah stated. "And I'm not going back either."

Jareth felt his heart slam in to the back of his chest. Not go back? She had to go back. She was the heart of this group.

"Sarah, don't be ridiculous," Jareth said. "You have to go back. It's where you belong."

"I'm not leaving Robby," Sarah said. "I love him. I don't care where I came from. Until three hours ago, this was the only place I knew as home. I'm not going to pack up and leave everything behind just because I got back some stupid memories of a previous life."

"But," Steve started.

"No!" Sarah shouted. "Look J, I know I was your best friend. But that was then. You can't possibly think we can just go back like nothing ever happened. You kidnapped my brother and made me go through thirteen hours of hell to get him back. If you think I can just pick up being your best friend after that, think again. I'm going back to my room. But first..."

Sarah flicked her wrist to make sure she still had her magic. When she saw that she did, she checked her room to make sure her roomie wasn't in there. When she was sure the room was empty, she transported and then put a spell on the room to make sure none of the others could transport in. 

Sarah threw herself down on her bed. How could they even suggest that she go back now? All of them had lives here, not just her. The guys were on the basketball team, how were they going to explain this to their coach? And there was no way she was going to uproot and leave behind her family and Robby. Of course, she knew now that they weren't her REAL family, but they were the only family she had known for the past however many years. Sarah closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

Sarah recognized where she was. It was the same place she had been last night during her dream. She turned to find the glowing woman once again filling the darkness with light.

"I want some answers, please," Sarah begged the woman.

"Sarah," the woman said, "I told you that your life was about to change."

"Well, yeah, but I thought you were talking about college."

"No, Sarah," the woman said gently. "I was not talking about college. But you seem to be forgetting that I said your new friends would help you through this."

"No, I haven't forgotten," Sarah said, "but how can they help if they're going back and they won't be here?"

"They're not going back, Sarah," the woman calmly stated.

"But they said they were. What do you mean they're not going back?"

"It's not yet time for them to return. The day will come when you will all have to choose between the lives you lead now, and the lives you were taken from long ago. But until that time, you will not be allowed to enter the Underground. So do not worry. Your friends will still be here."

"That's good to know. But does that also mean that HE will be here too?"

"Yes, Sarah. Jareth has lived for so long without the comfort of his friends. But most importantly, he has lived without the comfort of his best friend, you. He's not going to ignore you now that you all remember him. He will be with you guys from now until the day you make your decision."

"And I suppose you're going to tell me to try and make an effort to be his friend?" Sarah asked. "Because I'm telling you right now, it's not going to happen. Do you know what he put me through?"

"I'm not going to tell you to do anything, Sarah. But I will tell you this, Jareth had no choice but to do what he did. You wishing away Toby was part of your destiny. Sooner or later, you would have done it and Jareth had no choice but to take him. He also had no choice but to let you win. That's the way it was written. If you had lost, I don't even want to think of what would have happened. But that is not why I am here."

"Then why are you here?" Sarah asked.

"I have come to warn you."

"Warn me?" Sarah asked, clearly puzzled by where this conversation was going.

"The danger you thought was past is still here. You must also warn the others. Jareth was in a weakened state the night his friends were ripped from his life. He wasn't thinking straight. It may have appeared to him as though the source of the evil had been obliterated, but sadly, Lord Russell suffered the same fate as you and the others. Somewhere on the planet, he has been reborn. I'm not sure if he has retained his memory or not, but beware. Should he ever remember who he is and where he came from, none of you will be safe."

With that said, the woman disappeared and Sarah felt herself waking up. Sarah opened her eyes and looked around her room. What that woman had just said had frightened her more than she would like to admit.

Jareth sat up straight in the chair in Josh's living room. He could sense that something was wrong with Sarah.

"J, what is it?" Danny asked.

"Sarah. Something's wrong," he said. "I can feel it."

"I feel it, too," Steve said. "I guess our twin bond is coming back. I feel it real strong, too. She must be terrified. Go, J. She needs you."

"J can't go," Derrick said. "Sarah put a spell on her room."

"Hello idiot," Josh said. "J's always been able to undo everything we have done. How do you think we got out of half those messes we found ourselves in?"

Jareth quickly removed the spell from Sarah's room and transported to Sarah's room. She was sitting on her bed, her face as white as a sheet.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Jareth asked as he slowly approached her bed. 

"How did you get in here?" Sarah asked. "Never mind. I know the answer to that. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you were all right," Jareth answered. "I could sense that you were scared. What happened?"

"That woman was in my dream again," Sarah said. "What she said has me more scared than I've ever been in my life. Even more than when I was trying to get through your labyrinth."

"What did she say? You have to tell me."

"I have to tell everyone. She told me I had to."

"Tell me first. After that, I'll decide if the others need to hear right away."

Sarah proceeded to tell Jareth what the woman had told her about Russell. Jareth's eyes widened in disbelief. Russell alive? None of them were safe anymore.

"This is not good," Jareth said. "I've always had the feeling in the back of my mind that I somehow didn't get rid of him completely. I guess this is why I've always had this feeling."

"So do we tell the other?" Sarah asked.

"Not yet," Jareth answered. "I think it's best that we keep this silent. Once we figure out exactly where and who he is, then we'll tell the others. But for now, we must stay silent. More for Derrick's sake than anything."

"Why for Derrick's sake?" Sarah asked.

"Derrick has an older brother here on Earth named Russell. I don't think it's him, but we can't be too sure. But since the rest of you look exactly like you used to, it won't be hard to figure out which Russell the right one is."

Sarah looked at Jareth in shock. Did he actually think Derrick's brother could be their own enemy? Sarah prayed silently that it wasn't true, then turned to Jareth.

"Jareth," Sarah began, "when you came in here, you said that you could sense that I was scared. How?"

"You and I were best friends, Sarah," Jareth replied. "I know that we have been separated for a long time, but the bond we had is still there. It'll always be there."

Sarah looked across the room at Jareth. She could sense how much pain he was going through, knowing that his best friend hated him. Before she knew what she was doing, Sarah walked across to Jareth and hugged him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held on for dear life.

"I'm sorry, J," Sarah said softly. "I can see now how much I've been hurting you. I do remember everything. All the fun stuff we used to do, and all the trouble we used to get in. I even remember all the fights we used to have. You always wanted your way because you were a spoiled prince, and I wanted my way because I was the girl. I didn't realize until now what was missing from my life. But now I do. I was missing my best friend. I was missing you."

Jareth pulled Sarah close and hugged her again. He knew that she was a far cry away from saying she loved him, but he was happy just knowing that he had his best friend back.

"Jareth, there was more that she said, besides the part about Russell."

"And what did she say?" Jareth asked, fearful that she may have revealed too much.

"The guys aren't allowed to leave Earth. She said it wasn't time for us to return and until that time, we wouldn't be allowed to enter the Underground."

"I figured as much," Jareth said. "Like you said earlier, you have lives here. Now it comes down to which life you want to live. Let's go back to Josh's. They can at least hear that part of the dream."

Jareth formed a crystal in his hand and transported them back to Josh's apartment. At that moment, Sarah's roomie, Amy, arrived. She walked in just in time to see the two figures disappearing from her room.

_Well, well, _she thought to herself. _Won't my little friend be overjoyed to hear this._ Amy curled her mouth into an evil grin as the two people disappeared completely from the room.


End file.
